Qi Mingyue noted: "Would it be better if the school provided meals?"
The woman's eyes lit up: "That's great! We'll feel at ease knowing the child has a full meal."
Qi Mingyue went to chat with the old soldier again. When the topic of frostbite came up, the old soldier chuckled and said, "I'm used to it! It's lonely guarding the watchtower at night, so it would be nice to have some entertainment."
She wrote everything down and compiled it into a book that night. When Yao Xiuyan came to visit, he saw that the lamp in her tent was on late into the night.
On the third day, they patrolled to the farthest beacon-smoke village. Conditions there were the harshest; even water had to be carried from ten miles away. The children were poorly clothed and hid from strangers.
Qi Mingyue didn't rush to approach; instead, she helped the women fetch water and do laundry. She had never done this before, and water spilled all over her, and the clothes weren't even clean. The women initially laughed at her, but later they started teaching her.
“Miss Qi is kind-hearted,” a woman said, “but the hardships at the border are beyond your imagination.”
Qi Mingyue wiped the sweat from her forehead: "It is precisely because of the hardship that we must change."
In the evening, she approached Chen Yu: "Teaching Assistant Chen, I've read the livelihood policy you compiled. I think the matter of the kindergarten is feasible."
Chen Yu was pleasantly surprised: "Miss Qi is willing to give it a try?"
“But it needs to be changed.” Qi Mingyue spread out the blueprints. “The military settlements are scattered, so why not set up a simple school in each settlement, where literate military dependents can teach basic literacy? I will travel around to teach each month…”
Yao Xiuyan was standing outside the tent, listening quietly. Lin Qiuyan came to find him and tried to go in, but he stopped her.
"Let her finish speaking." Yao Xiuyan's gaze was deep.
Inside the tent, Qi Mingyue continued, "The most important thing is to solve the problem of meals. If the school provides lunch, the children will be more enthusiastic about coming, and the parents will feel at ease..."
Chen Yu nodded repeatedly: "I will go and calculate the rations and pay right away!"
After everyone left, Qi Mingyue noticed Yao Xiuyan outside the tent: "Brother Xiuyan?"
Yao Xiuyan walked in, picked up the blueprints and examined them closely: "You've thought of everything very thoroughly."
"It's just a preliminary idea," Qi Mingyue said softly. "It still needs Brother Xiuyan's approval."
Yao Xiuyan gazed at her: "Mingyue, you are even more..."
"What else do you want?" Lin Qiuyan barged in, her tone sour.
Yao Xiuyan put away the blueprints: "They also need to be capable." He said to Lin Qiuyan, "Go prepare the horses, it's time to go back to the pass."
On the return journey, Qi Mingyue no longer simply followed along, but frequently stopped to talk with the soldiers and civilians. Sometimes she noted down their needs, sometimes she answered their questions, making her much busier than on the way there.
Lin Qiuyan watched coldly from the sidelines, and couldn't help but say to Yao Xiuyan, "Brother Xiuyan, are you just going to let her act up like this?"
Yao Xiuyan watched Qi Mingyue's retreating figure, a slight smile playing on his lips: "It's not nonsense."
As they approached the pass, they encountered several children of military families blocking their way. The eldest of them held a bunch of wildflowers: "Miss Qi, these are for you."
Qi Mingyue dismounted and accepted the gift: "Thank you. What brings you here?"
The child asked shyly, "I heard you're going to open a school and provide meals...is that true?"
Qi Mingyue squatted down: "It's true. But we'll have to wait a while."
The children cheered and skipped away. Qi Mingyue held the bunch of wildflowers, a smile unconsciously playing on her lips.
Yao Xiuyan urged his horse forward: "Happy now?"
"Hmm," Qi Mingyue said softly, "Although it's slow, we're still moving forward."
As the sun set, it cast long shadows of the two. The wind and sand remained, but they were no longer as biting.
Qi Mingyue thought that the road to the border was still long, but she had already found a way to travel it.
Take it one step at a time, with your feet firmly on the ground. One day, the spring breeze will reach Yumen Pass.
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